Dorothea Lerman


PRESENT POSITIONS:

Associate Professor
University of Houston, Clear Lake
2700 Bay Area Blvd., Campus box 245
Houston, TX 77058

lerman@uhcl.edu

Adjunct Professor
Psychology Department
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

 

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

My research focuses early intervention, parent and teacher training, and assessment and treatment of behavior disorders in children with autism and other developmental disabilities. My graduate students and I work with children in several Houston school districts. The children engage in a variety of behavior disorders, including aggression, self-injury, and disruption. In most cases, these behavior disorders are learned, or maintained by their consequences (e.g., reactions of others). We conduct a special assessment to identify the maintaining consequences of each child's behavior disorder. Assessment results guide treatment development. We have a variety of on-going research projects that examine strategies to improve this assessment and common behavioral treatments. We have also developed a model for teacher preparation that includes an intensive summer training component.

 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Lerman, D. C., Parten, M., Addison, L., Vorndran, C., Volkert, V. & Kodak, T. (2005). A methodology for assessing the functions of emerging speech in children with developmental disabilities. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 38, 303-316.

Volkert, V.M., Lerman, D.C., & Vorndran, D. M. (2005). The effects of reinforcement magnitude on the outcomes of functional analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 38, 147-162.

Lerman, D.C., Vorndran, C.M., Addison, L., & Kuhn, S.C. (2004). Preparing teachers in evidence-based practices for young children with autism. School Psychology Review, 33, 510-526.

Lerman, D.C., Vorndran, C.M., Addison, L., & Kuhn, S.C. (2004). A rapid assessment of skills in young children with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 37, 11-26.

Document Center